A chemical bath deposition (CBD) process is provided for forming a textured zinc oxide film pattern from a zinc oxide printed seed layer. The process provides a substrate and prints a zinc oxide seed layer in a pattern overlying the substrate. Using a CBD process, a textured zinc oxide film is grown overlying the zinc oxide seed layer pattern, where the textured zinc oxide film has a variation in film thickness of greater than 200 nanometers (nm). In one aspect, growing the textured zinc oxide film includes: preparing a ZnO precursor bath; maintaining a bath temperature of about 70 degrees C.; and, leaving the substrate in the bath for about an hour. In another aspect, growing the textured zinc oxide film includes forming a textured zinc oxide film with zinc oxide crystals having a pyramidal shape with a height of greater than 200 nm.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A chemical bath deposition (CBD) process for forming a textured film from a metal oxide printed seed layer, the process comprising: providing a substrate; forming a first metal oxide seed layer in a pattern overlying the substrate as follows preparing a first metal oxide precursor solution; printing the first metal oxide precursor solution in a pattern on the substrate; annealing the first metal oxide precursor solution; and, using a CBD process, forming a textured film overlying the first metal oxide seed layer pattern.
2. The process of claim 1 wherein printing the first metal oxide precursor includes using a printing process selected from a group consisting of piezoelectric inkjet, thermal inkjet, gravure, offset, microcontact printing, and screen printing.
3. The process of claim 1 wherein forming the textured film includes: preparing a second metal oxide precursor bath; immersing the substrate in the second metal oxide precursor bath; and, growing a textured second metal oxide film in the pattern from the first metal oxide seed layer.
4. The process of claim 3 wherein the metal in the first and second oxides is the same metal.
5. The process of claim 3 wherein the metals in the first and second oxides are different metals.
6. The process of claim 3 wherein growing the textured second oxide film includes growing a textured ZnO film.
7. The process of claim 6 wherein preparing the second metal oxide precursor bath includes preparing a ZnO precursor bath as follows: creating a mixture of water and ethanol; and, dissolving a zinc salt and methenamine in the mixture.
8. The princess of claim 7 wherein immersing the substrate in the second metal oxide precursor bath includes maintaining the ZnO precursor bath at a temperature of about degrees C.; and, wherein growing the textured ZnO film in the pattern includes leaving the substrate in the bath for about an hour.
9. The process of claim 7 wherein dissolving the zinc salt and methenamine in the mixture includes dissolving a zinc salt selected from a group consisting of zinc acetate, zinc nitrate, and zinc chloride.
10. The process of claim 1 wherein forming the first metal oxide seed layer includes forming a ZnO seed layer.
11. The process of claim 10 wherein preparing the first metal oxide precursor solution includes preparing a ZnO seed layer precursor solution as follows: dissolving zinc acetate in a solution of ethanol and monoethanolamine; and, stirring.
12. The process of claim 11 wherein annealing the first metal oxide precursor solution includes annealing the ZnO precursor solution at a temperature of about 450 degrees C. for about 30 minutes.
13. The process of claim 1 wherein providing the substrate includes providing the substrate selected from a group consisting of soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, silicon, and thermal oxide of silicon.
14. The process of claim 1 wherein forming the textured film overlying the first metal oxide seed layer pattern includes forming a textured film with crystals having a pyramidal shape with a height of greater than 200 nanometers.
15. The process of claim 1 wherein forming the textured film includes: preparing a metal chalcogenide precursor bath; immersing the substrate in the metal chalcogenide precursor bath; and, growing a textured metal chalcogenide film in the pattern from the first metal oxide seed layer.
16. A chemical bath deposition (CBD) process for forming a textured zinc oxide film pattern from a zinc oxide printed seed layer, the process comprising: providing a substrate; printing a zinc oxide seed layer in a pattern overlying the substrate; and, using a CBD process, growing a textured zinc oxide film overlying the zinc oxide seed layer pattern, where the textured zinc oxide film has a variation in film thickness of greater than 200 nanometers.
17. The process of claim 16 wherein growing the textured zinc oxide film includes: preparing a ZnO precursor bath; maintaining a bath temperature of about 70 degrees C.; and, leaving the substrate in the bath for about an hour.
18. The process of claim 16 wherein growing the textured zinc oxide film includes forming a textured zinc oxide film with zinc oxide crystals having a pyramidal shape with a height of greater than 200 nanometers.
19. A chemical bath deposition (CBD) process for forming a textured film pattern from a metal oxide printed seed layer, the process comprising: providing a substrate; forming a first metal oxide seed layer in a pattern overlying the substrate; and, using a CBD process, forming a textured film overlying the first metal oxide seed layer pattern as follows: preparing a metal chalcogenide precursor bath; immersing the substrate in the metal chalcogenide precursor bath; and, growing a textured metal chalcogenide film in the pattern from the first metal oxide seed layer.
20. A chemical bath deposition (CBD) process for forming a textured film pattern from a metal oxide printed seed layer, the process comprising: providing a substrate; forming a first metal oxide seed layer in a pattern overlying the substrate; and, using a CBD process, forming a textured film with crystals having a pyramidal shape and a height of greater than 200 nanometers, overlying the first metal oxide seed layer pattern.
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July 28, 2010
October 25, 2011
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